Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm f/4.0 First Impressions

A while back, I purchased the Brightin Star 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately, the lens broke. Not sure what happened, but it appears to be misaligned or something like that. The sides of the image are blurry like oil was smeared on the lens. I've cleaned both sides of the lens and verified my sensor is clean with other lenses. The sad reality is that I bought a cheap lens and paid the price.
It was difficult to find something within my budget to replace the old fisheye. The Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm ended up being top choice because of the price ($350 used) and ability to zoom. Olympus offers a 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro lens, but it is significantly more expensive. Most of my work is done outside, so the f/4.0 is perfect at half the price.
Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm f/4.0: amzn.to/3DvjgPe
I'm also shooting a G9 and GH6 which pair well with the Lumix lens. There's clearly some magic happening in-body to minimize the distortion of the fisheye. I'm not sure if this would happen with the Olympus lens.
This is just my first impression and I anticipate using this lens often. Please let me know if you are interested in a follow-up.
Gear I use Often
Panasonic Lumix GH6: amzn.to/3WOTuye
Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm Lens: amzn.to/3qqcIOC
Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro: amzn.to/3FNYxHI
Sigma 16mm f/1.4 for MFT: amzn.to/3VMg9uz
Olympus E-M1 Mark II (Check Used Prices): amzn.to/42Dw9lq
Panasonic 14mm f/2.5: amzn.to/42KUTrn
Neewer LED Lights: amzn.to/3LOhBYz
Neewer Desk Mount Clamps: amzn.to/42FZNpv
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Thank you so much for watching! If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe.

[@CheikoSairin]

Thanks for sharing your first impressions about the Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm f/4.0. The video looks sharp. Great shared. 1 LIKE from me. Happy Shooting.

[@mattfowlerkc]

Thanks Cheiko!

[@ThatMicro43Guy]

I do like my 7-14 but don’t use it often enough

[@mattfowlerkc]

I feel like it’s more of a specialty lens. I really like how it’s basically a fisheye at 7mm and more of a standard wide angle at 14mm. Much more versatile than the cheap fisheye I replaced (that broke). Sometimes you get what you pay for.

[@frazerweb]

Interesting I've been considering the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8-18mm f/2.8-4 ASPH. Lens or new Leica 9mm. Just the hefty price for the 8-18. I currently use a Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Lens which is OK for budget price 2nd hand.

[@mattfowlerkc]

I considered all of those lenses. I’d say the Leica 9mm was the runner up. Guessing it’s a really good prime, but having the zoom option is nice. The prices can get pretty insane on the higher end stuff.

[@frazerweb]

@@mattfowlerkc All my lenses are used my 100 to 400mm leica my favourite at moment.

[@mattfowlerkc]

@@frazerweb that’s a much different lens than a super wide angle 🤣. I was think about getting the PL 50-200. Kind of torn between that and the OM 40-150 f/4.0. The 2.8 is cool, but way too heavy.

[@momchilyordanov8190]

I think Olympus camera will correct distortion. Panasonic cameras correct distortion of Olympus lenses, even the cheaper models like GX80.

[@mattfowlerkc]

Thanks for the feedback. I’d say that’s correct. I used it with my EM1 II after this video and it looked just as good as the Panasonic body.